Fontana vs Las Vegas
The short version
- Fontana is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Las Vegas area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $427,900 in Las Vegas and $586,800 in Fontana.
- Households earn more in Fontana ($102,821 vs $73,877 median).
- Fontana has the warmer winter: January highs of 68°F vs 59°F.
- Las Vegas has more scorching days: 137 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 93.
- Commutes are shorter in Las Vegas (26 vs 33 minutes each way).
- Nevada has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| Fontana, CA | Las Vegas, NV | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 221,223 | 679,817 |
| Growth since 2020 | +6.1% | +5.3% |
| People per square mile | 5,111 | 4,792 |
| Median age | 33.8 | 38.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21% | 28% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $102,821 | $73,877 |
| Median home value | $586,800 | $427,900 |
| Home value to income | 5.7× | 5.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,839 | $1,563 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 95.2 | 100.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 66.3 | 115.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $71,400 | $75,200 |
| Homeowners | 67% | 57% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 8.24% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 33.4 | 25.7 |
| Work from home | 13% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.5% | 7.4% |
| Poverty rate | 9.9% | 14% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 68° / 45° | 59° / 41° |
| July high / low | 94° / 65° | 105° / 82° |
| Precipitation per year | 12 in | 4 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 93 | 137 |
| Nights below freezing | 2 | 10 |
| Comfortable months | 8 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.8 | 99.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 28% | 31% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.8% | +2.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +46.9% | +41.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Fontana: October to May. Las Vegas: February to April and October to November.
Full monthly tables: Fontana weather by month and Las Vegas weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $71,400 in Fontana and $75,200 in Las Vegas. Moving from Fontana to Las Vegas, you would need about $79,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Fontana and Las Vegas
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Fontana and Las Vegas.
Which would you pick?
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